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Skills are reusable prompt modules packaged as SKILL.md files with YAML frontmatter. They can declare dependencies, requirements, and permissions.

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Managing Skills

/skills              # list installed skills
/skills search pdf   # search marketplace
/skills install pdf  # install + auto-install deps + reload
/skills remove pdf   # uninstall + reload

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Dependency Resolution

Dependencies declared in SKILL.md frontmatter are installed automatically:
TypeHow It’s Installed
Pythonpip install into the active venv
npmnpm install --prefix .octo/ (local node_modules)
MCPAdded to .mcp.json (activate with /mcp reload)
SystemDisplayed for manual installation (e.g. brew install)
At startup, Octo checks installed skills for missing Python deps and logs warnings. At runtime, missing deps are detected and the agent is instructed to install them before proceeding.

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Invoking Skills

Use the skill name as a slash command: 
/<skill-name>

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Creating Skills

See Creating Skills for the full guide on writing your own SKILL.md files.

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Skill Directories

Octo scans three directories for skills (first match wins):
  1. .octo/skills/ — primary, managed by Octo
  2. .agents/skills/ — project-level skills
  3. .claude/skills/ — Claude Code compatible skills